“I thought I would just do it in a corner of our house,” Allison said. “It started out as Allison’s Speech Corner, then when we opened up the commercial location we decided to expand and offer other disciplines, so we changed the name to Allison’s Therapy Corner.”
What happened
The Mills signed a lease for their first commercial location in Keller in October 2019. By February 2020, Allison hired a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. The clinic continued to grow and, in 2022, the private practice moved to its current location on Golden Triangle Blvd. in Fort Worth. A second location opened Feb. 1 in Grapevine.
What they offer
The outpatient clinic provides evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic services to children ages 0-18 years of age in the areas of speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy and autism therapy.
“I've been in some settings before where I just felt like there was a lot of what we call 'cookie cutter therapy.' These kids aren't cookies. They're all very individualized. It was really important for me to find therapists that had that same kind of mindset as me ... and were ethically minded.”
What’s special about it?
Allison said from the beginning she has felt a divine calling to start her own business.
“I think it’s really cool that as believers we can bring God into it,” she said. “It’s important to us to be God-honoring in our business. We do two circle times with our autistic kids—one is academic and the other is a devotional.”
Caleb added that people can opt out of the religious component but thus far, no one has chosen to do so.
Why it matters
Allison said some of their clients are in general education classrooms while others are in special education programs.
On the occupational therapy front, Allison said the clients’ confidence receives a boost when they feel self-assured in their writing abilities, swinging on a swing or throwing and kicking a ball at recess.
She explained the range of speech therapy goals vary in that some are trying to reduce a stutter while others are non-verbal. Increasing their communication skill set gives clients confidence when communicating with their peers and teachers.
“We're helping children [who] don't have a mode of communication, especially ... in our autism program, learn how to communicate,” Allison said. “Some of these kids are saying, ‘I love you’ to a parent for the very first time or finding another avenue to actually say something like that, whether that's with pictures or with an iPad communication system. It’s really neat to see their skills evolve over time.”
- 4831 Merlot Ave., Ste. 320, Grapevine
- 4917 Golden Triangle Blvd., Ste. 411, 421, Fort Worth
- www.allisonstherapycorner.com
